It’s always time for great barbecue. Last Saturday (May 9th.) the Queen Mary hosted their 4th annual West Coast BBQ Classic (WCBC) which featured over 60 different SoCal-based champion grill masters and BBQ teams competing for the coveted title of West Coast’s Best BBQ along with cash prizes. The Grand Champion of chicken, pork ribs, pork and brisket, Sterling Ball, of Big Poppa Smokersjoins us.

Our other resident wine authority is Managing Partner Tristen Beamon of The Wine Exchange in Santa Ana. One of the world’s greatest wine-producing regions, according to the experts, is Bordeaux located in Southwestern France. The region’s fame dates back over 2,000 years to the time of the Romans. Tristen is with us to provide the 411 on the coveted wines from this stellar region and why they are significant to serious collectors. He has just returned from the area which he is quite well-traveled in.

Imagine a country where East and West are beautifully intertwined in the cuisine and culture and where its treasured cooking secrets are just waiting to be discovered. Welcome to Azerbaijan. In Pomegranates & Saffron – A Culinary Journey to Azerbaijan, Feride Buyurantakes the reader on a delightful culinary journey through this beautiful land in the Caucasus. Interspersed throughout the text are fascinating glimpses of local culture and traditional proverbs related to food that will make the adventure even more memorable. Author Feride Buyuran is our guest.

The Jewish deli business is not an easy one. After being offered a management position with an existing but failing Northridge, CA deli, Ron Peskin found himself with a new title – owner. The deli’s proprietor was abandoning ship, and he proposed that Peskin should be the one to keep it afloat. Not only did the deli come with all the necessary equipment and a staff of 11, it also came with a substantial amount of bad debt. The year was 1969 and, ironically, Ron and his wife Patricia also had a son named Brent so they changed everything but the name! With little money, a handful of employees and a single delivery truck, the Peskins were determined to make Brent’s Deli a success. The hard work paid off. A second, larger, Brent’s was added in Westlake Village 10 years ago. Today Brent’s consistently remains the highest rated deli in Southern California year-after-year serving thousands of meals every day.

Be sure to catch Chef Andrew Gruel Thursday nights (new time) on his new restaurant makeover series on FYI, “Say it to My Face.” The fresh episode encores throughout the week on FYI. Check your local listings.

All of this and lots more absolutely incredible deliciousness on Saturday’s show!